Claude Penland: Actuary & Partner, Ezra Penland Actuarial Recruitment

“A mule will labor ten years willingly and patiently for you, for the privilege of kicking you once.” – William Faulkner

“Life is tough, but it’s tougher when you’re stupid.”

“If you’ve got them by the balls their hearts and minds will follow.”

“Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It’s perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we’ve learned something from yesterday.”

“Talk low, talk slow and don’t say too much.”

“Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.”

“Once a woman has given you her heart, you can never get rid of the rest of her.” – Sir John Vanbrugh

“A successful team beats with one heart.” – Unknown

“The world only goes round by misunderstanding.” – Charles Baudelaire

“I always knew I was a star. And now, the rest of the world seems to agree with me.” – Freddie Mercury

“You’re just left with yourself all the time, whatever you do anyway. You’ve got to get down to your own God in your own temple. It’s all down to you, mate.” – John Lennon

“You have to be a bastard to make it, and that’s a fact. And the Beatles are the biggest bastards on earth.” – John Lennon

“My kids are starting to notice I’m a little different from the other dads. “Why don’t you have a straight job like everyone else?” they asked me the other day. I told them this story: In the forest, there was a crooked tree and a straight tree. Every day, the straight tree would say to the crooked tree, “Look at me…I’m tall, and I’m straight, and I’m handsome. Look at you…you’re all crooked and bent over. No one wants to look at you.” And they grew up in that forest together. And then one day the loggers came, and they saw the crooked tree and the straight tree, and they said, “Just cut the straight trees and leave the rest.” So the loggers turned all the straight trees into lumber and toothpicks and paper. And the crooked tree is still there, growing stronger and stranger every day.” – Tom Waits

“Bluegrass is wonderful music. I’m glad I originated it.” – Bill Monroe